I have been planning to make a nice gluten free plate for a long time – not one, not two dishes but a full plate that consists of a variety of tastes. Finally I made it! And it is incredibly easy to make!

First of all, the flatbread: I love the flavour of coconut flour and I’ve been meaning to make a bread using it. I found a recipe on the blog “The Big Man’s World” and worked on it a little. The original recipe turned out more like a crepe – which was very delicious but did not have the exact texture and enough coconut flavour I was seeking. So I added a bit more coconut flavour which made it more bread-like for my taste.

Second, tabbouleh: Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern dish and it is not a very common one in Turkey. We have another salad / mezze called Kisir which is kind of a variation of tabbouleh. That’s why I looked around to find an authentic tabbouleh recipe and turned it into a gluten free dish by replacing the original ingredient “bulgur” with quinoa. Quinoa grows significantly when cooked, that’s why I used less raw quinoa than bulgur.

Third, avocado tzatziki: In my family, tzatziki is not such a thick mezze but it is rather more liquid. However, I do like this version that you can eat very easily with a flatbread (or another kind of bread). Adding avocado was just an idea I had suddenly when I had an extra avocado at home. It made tzatziki much more creamy, adding a colour change to greenish.

Finally, hummus: Hummus is one of the most basic dishes out there for gluten free and vegan dieters. I have several different kinds of hummus recipes here on the blog (avocado hummus, beetroot hummus, pomegranate hummus..) and I realised that I do not have the basic version. That’s why I added basic hummus to this plate too.

The contents of this plate, minus coconut flatbread, will be among the many dishes I will be serving this Saturday in the 5th brunch I am organising in Hietsun Paviljonki, Helsinki. More about this event will be the topic of another blog post, but in the meantime, if you are interested in the event, if you are around Helsinki on Saturday 19th and are free, check the event page here!
—

3. Put a teaspoon coconut oil on a pan and coat the pan with it while warming it on medium heat. When the oil melts and is heated enough, pour about a ladle of batter and spread it evenly on the pan. Cover with a lid and cook until the edges start bubbling. When one side is done, put the cover away, turn the bread to other side and cook that side too. Repeat this for the rest of the batter and add some more coconut oil to the pan if you feel it is needed.

4. (Quinoa tabbouleh) Wash quinoa very well with cold water. Put it in a medium pan and add 1 cup / 2.4 dl cold water. Put it on medium heat, first boil and then simmer for 15 minutes until cooked. Drain any remaining water and put aside.